Common name: Pin Cushion Plant • Hindi: Putliyo • Marathi: गोलगोंडा Golgonda • Gujarati: Ganthera
Botanical name:Neuracanthus sphaerostachyusFamily: Acanthaceae (Acanthus family)
The species name sphaerostachyus means spherical flower head. This
feature is probably what gives it the common name pin cushion plant. The
flowers are violet-purple in color. It is an erect annual herb 30-60 cm high.
Oppositely arranged, elliptic oblong leaves are 5-10 cm in length, and are
almost without stalk. Flowers occur in rounded clusters which, again, are
without a stalk.
Used in making a health tonic for animal.
Identification credit: Vidya Rao & Navendu Pagé